June Denver Made Interview: Johanna Mueller of Feverish Art

June's Denver Made brings the work of Johanna Mueller, fine art print maker, into our store. As written on her website, "The prints of Johanna Mueller are imbued with personal mythology as she draws from her own narrative, cultural and historical references, pattern and design, and ancient myth and legend. The animals in her work are elevated from beast to mythic status as they take on human emotions and become metaphoric portraits of the artist and others."Recently Johanna was kind enough to answer a few questions about her process for us in preparation for her Denver Made Event Friday June 4th.

(Lioness, Enlightened - Relief Engraving by Feverish Art)

FT: How did you come up with the name for your line, Feverish Art?

JM:  I love the visual image that "Feverish Art" suggests. (Feverish: displaying frenzied excitement or energy). I wanted to start branding my artwork with a name that implied the energy behind the artwork as well as the symptoms of a fever, being both hot and cold at the same time. (My prints are often labeled "nightmarish" yet people also see them as quite beautiful.)  "Feverish" does accurately describe my work ethic, while at the same time it carries an animalistic connotation and ultimately conveys the energy of the animal characters used in my work.

(Holy Cow - Relief Engraving by Feverish Art)

FT:How did you get your start?

JM: I have always been an artist and an entrepreneur.  In grade school I participated in craft fairs at the local children's bank, sold painted pop tabs as charms with rock band logos in high school, and started selling my prints in college. Each small sale along the way was fuel to keep going, and the little bit of success I experienced early on was proof that if my passion was present I could make a living at what I love doing.  

(Break Me Through - Relief Engraving by Feverish Art)

FT: Where do you find your best inspiration for your work?

JM: I never leave home without my sketchbook.  I frequent museums and galleries, sketching and recording what interests me.  I spend lots of time at the library, cruising books and drawing corners of larger compositions, sketching photos or master's works.  All these sketches, as well as found and ripped objects from newspapers and magazines, are used as a sort of visual encyclopedia that I go through to construct a composition.  I journal along side my sketches, and often my thoughts and feelings in relation to the sketches becomes the seed for a finished piece of artwork. 

(From Your Heart to Your Brain - Relief Engraving by Feverish Art)

FT: What music do you listen to when you work?

JM: I actually love listening to podcasts! This fits me since I love stories and my work is based on narrative.  I listen to The Moth, This American Life, Fresh Air, Radio Lab, Selected Shorts, and The Classic Tales.  When I am in a mood for music I go for my favorites, Elton, Bowie, The Rolling Stones, though lately I have been listening to a lot of Texas Country.

(Jewels  - Relief Engraving by Feverish Art)

FT: What would you like people to know about your work/process that isn’t evident when looking at it?

JM: People are often astounded by the detail in my work, and jump to "how long does that take you?"  Although the amount of time that goes into each print is extensive, I avoid labeling myself as "obsessive".  My work is a very zen process for me, and is actually relaxing.  It is just the nature of working with small tools, and really liking what I am doing that allows me to spend so much time on each piece.  And the results are worth the time! 

Make sure to stop by Friday June 4th from 7-10pm and enjoy beverages from Great Divide Brewery while exploring the work of Johanna Mueller in the form of handmade sculptures, prints, cards and books. And don't worry if you are unable to to make it Friday as Johanna's prints will be on display and for sale through the month of June. 

xoxo

fancy tiger clothing

Fashion Trends: Gingham Galore!

We've been seeing a lot of gingham prints hitting the streets and filling our store recently. Wether it's button up shirts for men, shorts or dresses for women, gingham is popping up all over this season. It lends a nice laid back feel to tailored pieces through the use of this casual pattern. 

Tulle is getting in on the gingham action with their ever so feminine take on fashions...

Nicole of Nicole's Threads is using gingham to add a little detail to her handmade tops this season...

while lines like Cheap Monday and Cash Crop have gingham dominating their button up shirts adding some dimension to their spring lines for men. 

So stop in and spruce up your spring wardrobe with some gingham.

xoxo

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New Molly M Designs are in Stock Now!

Molly M Designs has wowed us from the start with her use of geometric and organic line work in her laser cut jewelry line, but now she is taking it a step further with reversible pieces. Each of the pieces in her new "textile" collection feature a darker charcoal side and a lighter natural birch wood side with a bit of organic canvas sandwiched between which lends itself to the natural feel of the line.

IKAT 1 Earrings (also available as a pendant)

Dart Pendant (also available as earrings)

Triangulate Earrings (also available as a pendant)

We are also now seeing Molly experiment with acrylic as a medium integrating shallow laser cut line work  into the material.

Acrylic Diagonals Earrings

Acrylic Pendant

Make sure to stop in soon to check out these incredible feats of laser cutting before they're all gone...

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

fancy tiger clothing

Austin Renegade Craft Fair in Review

This past weekend I packed up a bag full of product and traveled to Austin, Texas for the first ever Renegade Craft Fair to grace the city of Austin. This was my first out of state show with my line becky's buttons and I was happy to share a booth with my dear friend and fellow Fancy Tiger Clothing designer, Sandra Fettingis. The two day event was held at the Palmer Events Center which was packed with over 250 vendors from all over the country and I was fortunate enough to get to meet a few of the lovely independent designers we carry here at Fancy Tiger Clothing.

Luckily we were stationed right next to the Louisiana based Super Maggie and her amazing line of screen printed apparel. Maggie and her partner Michael were manning the booth and were kind enough to let me take some photos of them hard at work restocking and chatting with customers.

Next I made a stop over at the Squasht by Les booth where Lesley, the Chicago based designer, was hard at work setting up for the day and talking to some early arrivals. Now Lesley is well known for her line of handmade, reversible hats that we stock here at Fancy Tiger Clothing but she was also showing off some of her hand crafted garments and various other accessories including a new line of headbands. Lesley will be opening a flagship Squasht by Les store in Chicago this month that will not only carry the full line of Squasht hand-crafted garments and accessories but will also carry a selection of wares from various other independent designers from around the nation.

I then took a quick stroll over to Brooklyn's own Loyalty and Blood's booth to check out their amazing line of t-shirts, tote bags and various other accessories and even convinced David and friends to pose for a picture.

Last but certainly not least, there was a great Colorado showing featuring various local designers such as; Bound in Circles, mmsomewhere, mukee, Lucky Me Beads, Vital Industries, Swear Jar and sandra fettingis.

Overall is was a great experience and an excellent way to meet some interesting and talented independent designers.

xoxo

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Bring some color into your life with new jewelry from Polli.

We've been carrying Polli for a couple years now and their work seems to transform and gain new elements at every turn. This Sydney based jewelry line has now become a staple in our cases and they were kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us so we can learn a little more about their line.

Woven Empire Pendant China Blue from Polli

ft: Where does the name Polli come from?

p: The name Polli is derived from the material – polypropylene. Our first products were die cut, flat packed baskets made from brightly coloured Polypropylene. We liked the idea that our brand had a female persona but wasn’t a common name.

Woven Camellia Pendant Warm from Polli

ft: When did Polli start and how has the line changed since its inception?

p: Polli started as a hobby, two designer friends selling their baskets at weekend markets 8 years ago. Today Polli is a thriving business employing 10 people with a commercial studio in Sydney’s inner west. Our product range has grown from baskets into jewelry and home accessories with over 100 designs in our portfolio. The materials used have changed from plastic to recycled brass and stainless steel.

Woven Empire Pendant Red from Polli

ft: What inspired the new designs for the Spring season?

p: Polli designs are inspired by our everyday lives, travel and the environment. The Spring collection featured an Art Deco theme inspired by travel to NY and Art Deco architecture. This decorative styling translates well into earrings and necklaces and was hand stitched for two ranges in the Spring collection. The hand stitching allows us to add seasonal colours and makes each piece handmade in Australia.

Woven Camellia Pendant Green from Polli

ft: Polli makes home and fashion accessories. Has Polli ever considered getting into clothing or any other realms of design?

p: We’d love to make more home products and play with materials like salvaged timber. There are lots of designs on the drawing board but unfortunately we seem to always have a lot on our plate! Fashion design? It’s not really our area of expertise – I think we’ll leave it to the experts.

Woven Empire Pendant Granny Smith from Polli

ft: Anything we should know about Polli that we don't?

p: The Polli team is expanding! We’ve had many studio babies over the years and last year designer Tess Lloyd had a baby girl who is currently crawling around, emptying any rubbish bins that get in her way and unplugging as many computers as she can! Designer Maja Rose is currently pregnant and due with her first this August.

Babies add a fun, chaotic element to the studio and the team here form an extended family with everyone pitching in to feed, change and play with the little ones... maybe a baby range will be the next project!

Thanks Polli!

xoxo

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Denver Made Call for Designers!

We are currently looking for local talent to round out our 2010 season of Fancy Tiger Clothing's Denver Made. Denver Made is a monthly event that takes place the first Friday of every month and features a different local designer’s work. Past Denver Made events have focused on fashion, music, furniture design, art and various other mediums. For more information and to download a copy of the application click here.

Email all applications to : matthew@fancytiger.com


xoxo


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Bicycles and Birds of Flight

New Heavy Rotation and Fluffy Co. tees have landed in store. Both spring lines seem to be focusing on bikes and birds, a trend we are seeing in other accessories in store as well.

For the bike enthusiasts out there Heavy Rotation has deconstructed the bike on these screen printed tees depicting diagrams of bike parts, gears and all the things that keep us moving forward. 

Fluffy Co.'s  new spring line of tees seems to be borrowed from the pages of the Audubon Society featuring bold prints of birds in flight.

We have also added some new handmade pieces to our racks with new spring tees from Nicole's Threads exploring bold color and pattern pairings coupled with feminine details. 

Make sure to stop in this week and see what's new. 

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

fancy tiger clothing

Fancy Finds and Summer Fashions

If you haven't been into Fancy Tiger Clothing in a while here's a sneak peek of what's been going on. First off we have had many requests for laptop bags and found through scouring second hand stores and estate sales we could supply consumer conscious pieces that complement the Fancy Tiger Clothing lifestyle, thus starting our new in store collection of Fancy Finds. What are Fancy Finds you ask? Well it is simply a way of encouraging people to integrate repurposed and vintage goods into their lives. Here are some choice selections of what's in store now...

Our Fancy Finds have been landing in new homes fast so make sure to stop in and check them out.

Moving onto clothing, summer is just around the corner and we've been preparing by stocking up on shorts and light-weight fabrics for your fashion needs. Next time your in check out the outfits our newly added mannequins are sporting for tips on pairing choice selections together. 

In our men's section we've been experiencing an in-flux of light-weight collared shirts. The best part is the curated packs they now come in adding a variety of styles and colors to our racks. 

Also be sure to check out the new in store shorts we are now creating. These one-of-a-kind creations are sure to spruce up your summer wardrobe. 

Don't worry ladies, we didn't forget about you, stop in and check out the new additions to the women's section including Nick and Mo (pictured above), LA Made, Nicoles Threads and many more...

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

fancy tiger clothing

May Denver Made Interview: DJ Sessions featuring DJ Shannon von Kelly

May's Denver Made takes us back to the DJ Sessions where you can enjoy late night shopping, beverages and most of all some of the best DJs Denver has to offer. This month we are excited to have DJ Shannon von Kelly and he was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us about his musical taste and how he got his start...

ft: How did you get your start DJing?

svk: I was always into music, even as a little kid.  I played the Muppet Movie soundtrack and Beach Boys Endless Summer back to back and over and over.  I was an avid collector of music in high school - mostly death rock and industrial - and enjoyed going to some of the Denver area's "classic" clubs - Rock Island, Ground Zero, and even Club L.A. in Westy (Westminister).  

Starting about this time, I had this kind of fantasy of becoming a DJ, being the guy up in the booth, selecting and mixing tracks, making the kids on the dancefloor shake.  In college, I got involved with KUCB, the CU Boulder radio station, which later became Radio 1190.  I dug through KUCB/1190's musical archives and I hungrily listened to everything new that came in.  My tastes expanded over the next five years and I experimented with beat-matching.  

After graduating CU, I began spinning with friends wherever I could - clubs, restaurants, bars - and started my own night in 2000 with James Sharp, a.k.a. DJ Quid, at a former lesbian bar named Zu - now Three Kings Tavern - called Shaggy Robot, effectively Denver's first electroclash night.  The rest has been - how do you say? - unscripted, unwritten, unrecorded history...

ft: How would you define your style?

svk: I DJ a variety of musics, using a variety of mixing styles. Historically, there's been this conflict between "selectors," DJs who pick great tracks, but don't necessarily mix songs together, and "mixers" where the seamless bridge between tracks is god.  Digital DJing has really broken down these barriers, but since I only spin on vinyl, I'd say I use both styles, any and all styles.  I grab choice electro-pop-cosmic-italo-disco-synth-hop-new romantic-coldwavestep, what-have-you tracks, mix it together into something new, thoughtful and irresistible.  It's really kind of Shannon von Kelly style, if I may be so bold...

ft: What is your favorite era for music?

svk: Wow, there's so much good music coming out now...  Maybe not classics in the making, but there's constantly a ripe gem coming down the pipeline.

ft: If you had to say, who is your all time favorite band?

svk: Joy Divison

ft: What was the last concert you went to?

svk: Fever Ray in San Francisco.

ft: What is the last album you purchased?

svk: Vinyl Life's self-titled album, and a space-synth cosmic disco compilation entitled Synth Planet, both highly recommended.

Come join us Friday May 7th from 7pm-10pm and listen to DJ Shannon von Kelly spin a unique blend of beats while enjoying beverages from Great Divide Brewery and make sure to check out all the new fashions in stock now. 


We will also be recording this live session so make sure to check back for more info on how to get your hands on the download. Also make sure to keep an eye out for DJ Shannon von Kelly's new dance night soon to take over the Denver scene, Neon Knights...more information to follow. See you there!

xoxo

fancy tiger clothing